Vytal's Fairy Tales
by MelonPalooza
Summary: The girls find a story book. It seems harmless enough, but then Ruby accidentally activates it. Now what will happen to the girls that gets affected by this magical book? And what will happen to an angry Yang that gets left behind?
1. Awake

Chapter 1: Awake

Ruby was somewhere very different than what she was used to. She was resting in a bed, but it was not hers. She looked around at her surroundings, and they were not her dorm's. She was dressed down, but she was not in her own pajamas. From what she could tell, the article of clothing that was on her person was a nightgown, a fairly flimsy one at that. The fabric brushed softly against her skin as she removed her body from the bed.

The last Ruby could remember was that she and her team were in the school library. Even though they were attending a school that bred hunter and huntresses, there were still essay assignments. Time that they could use to take down Grimm, and the professors wanted them to flip through old dusty books.

Yang was carrying an especially tall stack of books, until she deposited them carelessly onto their group table, agitating the dust. Both Weiss and Ruby started to cough from accidentally inhaling the fuming particles, Blake's bow slightly twitched at the mistreatment of such important tomes.

After she recovered, Weiss skeptically picked out one book from the pile in particular. It was fairly old, leather bound, worn, and definitely not the subject they were suppose to be researching.

"Vytal's Fairy Tales?" Ruby asked while Weiss simply had raised eyebrows. She handed the book to Ruby, who seemed instantly interested in the thick book.

"I just grabbed anything that looked heavy and ancient," Yang shrugged.

"Half of these books aren't even related to our topic!" Weiss couldn't help but hiss at her teammate.

"Then just give them to me and I'll make another round," Yang confidently advised.

"It'll take forever to gather enough information," Weiss countered.

"You just don't want to actually start," Blake pointed out.

Yang gave her a wink and stuck out her tongue, "Guess you found me out! Since it's already too late to fix my mistake, I might as well go back."

"This time with books we _need_?" the snow haired teen reminded the blonde.

"Yes, princess," Yang rolled her eyes.

"Can we keep this one please? It looks interesting," Ruby said, jumping up and down in her seat. The book of fiction was raised up above her head, basking in the afternoon light that was seeping through the windows.

"Aren't you a bit too old for children stories, sis?"

"I don't mind," Blake voiced her opinion.

The blonde shrugged, "Suit yourself," she said before trodding off yet again with an armful of books.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Weiss asked.

"I can handle it," the blonde waved as she disappeared around a bookshelf's corner.

"Ooh, ooh, can we read one while we wait?" Ruby eagerly asked.

"I don't see why not," Blake smiled in reply. Weiss was also interested, not that she would admit it. I mean, with that much work put into the binding of the book, it couldn't be half bad, could it?

"That's an awfully lot of stories packed in there," Weiss commented, peering over her leader's shoulders. They were skimming the table of contents, deciding on which story to read. Something interesting, as well as short so that they would actually be able to finish before the day is over.

"Wow, there's even more than one volume of these!" Ruby whistled.

"That one looks interesting," Blake was about to point at the story that captured her interest, when there was a shout from afar that caught their attention.

"You nimwit!" a male voice sounded. Hearing the commotion, the girls looked up, only to see a canister of dust hurtling towards them.

"Save the books!" Blake reacted immediately. She tried to gather as much in her arms as she could while Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. Not again.

The canister, as expected, exploded on impact. Dust scattered across the entire surface of the table, covering several books in its glory. And to much of Weiss and Blake's dismay, Ruby's started to react to the powder that lingered in front of her nose.

"Ahh-," she began.

"I mean it's not _red _dust," Weiss tried to reason.

"_-aah_-," Ruby continued.

"So I mean, we're not going to explode or anything, right?"

"-ah-." The snow haired heiress found herself covering Ruby's mouth. It seemed to calm Ruby's sensitive nose down a bit. Weiss and Blake both sighed a breath of relief. Weiss slowly took her hand away.

"Right?" she asked her faunus friend one last time before the inevitable happened.

"-A_choo_!"

* * *

A blinding light followed afterwards. And then a blackout. And now this. Ruby found herself looking for Crescent Rose, only to realize that she didn't have it with her. It was still in her locker, tucked safely away. The young teen groaned as she slumped back onto the bed, elbows resting on her knees, hands grasping at her hair.

There was no knock on the door, but Ruby instantly shifted into battle mode. Although she was weaponless, Ruby was still a formidable opponent. She was after all, stronger and faster than your average fifteen year old female. The door was opened to reveal a young woman, either in her late 20's or early 30's, that entered with a tray of a small water basin and two cotton towels.

"Oh, you're awake, Red," the woman greeted Ruby with genuine surprise. The girl in turn slowly lowered her stance back to normal. She looked harmless enough, so far.

"Red?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, you were wearing that red cloak of yours. We couldn't just call you 'that girl' or 'the unconscious one'," the woman smiled as she walked over to Ruby's beside table. She dipped one of the towels into the basin, reaching out with her other arm as if she was waiting to be given something. The teen withdrew her arms even further away from the woman's.

"I can wash myself," Ruby stated, still on high guard.

"Fair enough, we are strangers."

"We..."

"Yes, you and I," the woman replied.

"No. Earlier, what you said before. How 'we' couldn't just call you that girl or whatever. Who's _we_?"

"Oh!" the woman's eyes lit up, as if she just figured out the meaning of life. "Me, my husband. The family next door, the baker down the lane...everyone in town, really." Now Ruby, as of now, is simply dumbfounded. She's confused. Weirded out. How could _everyone _in a town know about her?

"Okay, maybe not the _whole _town. The neighborhood basically. It's not everyday that your husband stumbles across a young girl that's alone and out in the woods in the middle of the night," the woman continued to talk. Right now, it might as well be considered a ramble, "You were breathing, so we reckoned you weren't dead. But you didn't wake up for days. We had a doctor look at you, and he simply stated your body was just resting. That must have been one big...whatever you did out there to get your body in such a state."

"Days? How many, specifically?" Ruby asked.

"Almost a week, actually. Six. Days, not weeks." Six days? The essay was due three days ago!

"This can't be happening," the teen whispered under her breath. "I need to get back to Beacon soon. I'll just take my leave now." Ruby was about to turn and leave for the door when she noticed the sheer look of confusion on the woman's face. "Beacon Academy?" Ruby tried once again to explain herself. Her only reply was the blank look the woman stared back at her with.

"...Are we still in Vale?"

Nothing.

"Vytal?" panic was starting to set into Ruby's heart.

"Remnant?" Ruby tried one last time before the woman started to click her tongue.

"Oh you poor thing, you must have hit your head or something. Your mind is still a bit hazy," the woman worryingly said. She guided Ruby to sit on the bed. Because of the pure panic and fear instilled into her body, Ruby obliged and allowed herself to be guided by the woman. "Now I can't say if I ever heard of any of those countries, I think it's best to stay rested until you remember where you are."

"Hint, please?" Ruby asked meekly.

"Now that would be cheating, would it not?" the woman joked. But Ruby didn't find it funny. Even if she was in a different region, country or continent, the woman who obviously spoke her language should have at least heard of one of those names! Remnant, especially.

Soon after, about twenty seconds or so later, Ruby's lost face was enough to bring down the woman's eagerness to let Ruby remember it by herself.

"You'll be fine," the woman tried to reassure Ruby, gripping the teen's fingers tightly. "What's your name, love?"

Ruby thought about it for quite a while. Could she trust them? Could she not?

"Red. Just call me Red."

* * *

Weiss awoke in the most horrible way possible. Gasping for air, she found her hair and clothes soaking wet.

"Hey watch it!" she growled at the very rude prison guard that was standing on the other side of the bars. Wait a minute. Bars? She was about to run up to the guard when there was a chain that pulled her back, tripping her in the process. Both her hands were also bound to one another, allowing her for minimal options to cushion the landing. Definitely minor scraps will be present soon after.

"Guess the little witch is finally awake," the guard sneered. What did he just call her?

"Only because you splashed water on her. That's cruel," another guard said. His voice sounded younger than the other one, but both were currently on Weiss's blacklist. How dare they put her in such a vile location.

"We have a client. She fits the requirements. Now open."

"Fine," the other guard said. There was a jingle of keys and the sound of squeaking metal. Weiss felt herself being roughly pulled up. Much to her shock and surprise, her body felt incredibly week.

"Convenient though, ain't it. How this one was asleep all week. We didn't have to give her food or anything. And now one of the richest in the city is going to buy her for a huge profit. You're just the most wonderful money maker aren't you?" the older guard cooed. He cupped Weiss's chin to lift her eyes up to his. It took a while for her eyes to focus, but soon it did. And oh boy was that the first sight Weiss did not want to witness.

The man before her was mustached, covering practically half of his face. She was certain there were even bits of food stuck inside the bird's nest. His smile was missing teeth here and there, those that were left were a gritty puss colored yellow. His breath smelled like rotten eggs, rotten meat, rotten milk - rotten everything. It didn't take Weiss that much effort to not gag and throw up right then and there. It was not like she had anything left to throw up anyways.

"Now that all of the soot and grime got washed away, you're a pretty face, aren't you. You have an interesting scar there, but no one's going to be looking at a slave's face while they work. It's a pity, how such this face will go to waste..." the guard breathed heavily near Weiss's ear. If she had anything present in her stomach, it would have been on the floor by now. "Wouldn't mind bedding a creature like you, what'd you say, girlie?"

Weiss scrunched her face in disgust. There was slight bile in her mouth and a lump in her throat.

"Stop it," the younger guard replied. He handed the older one a long chain of some sort. Before Weiss could comprehend what the chain was meant to do, it was pulled forward - and so was she.

Great, now she was a dog. This ticked Weiss off. Like really ticked her off. She then bent her legs, lowering herself to the floor quickly.

"What the-" the older guard started, before Weiss had jumped over the head, and kneed him directly into his nose. In his surprise, the guard let go of the chain. Thinking quickly, Weiss took the chain - that would have become an hindrance - into her own hands, and tripped the other guard before she ran. The chains around her feet made it difficult to take large strides, but she made do. The weakness she felt before was momentarily gone, in its place was pure adrenaline.

As expected, the younger guard soon gave chase after her. It didn't take long for him to call for backup, as soon Weiss found herself in the presence of two more guards - equally menacingly looking as the last ones. Not. She ducked below their swings as quickly as she could, which was pretty damn fast considering her current situation. She decked one of them in the occipital lobe with the handcuffs that bound her. He was quick to fall down. She took her chain to wrap around the ankles of one of the guards, tripping him, while he in returned fell upon the other one.

Weiss then ran. She passed over several other cells, each of its inhabitants called out for her help. For her own survival, she dashed past them, mentally blocking out their cries. She soon made it outside, but she attracted the attention of those around her. With blood still pumping violently through her body, she ran down the street as quick as she could, eventually taken breath between one of the dark alleyways.

* * *

Blake remembered a flash of light, and then she felt the sun's rays upon her skin. She slightly recalled being carried, and being taken care of. She remembered being fed and washed. But when her ribbon was removed, there was a gasp. She then felt herself being dragged from the bed, he head making contact with the wooden floors.

The raven haired girl tried to scream, _stop_. But the people dragging her could not hear her. She was then thrown onto the back of some sort of wagon, a whip and the whinny of horses, and she could feel the wagon moving. She faintly recalls the bumps on the road, every rock they ran over, every crack they sunk into. Her body was then roughly carried in the middle of somewhere. Her body felt cold, her lungs felt full. She couldn't breath. She was drowning.

But then she felt air in her lungs once more and she coughed the rest of the intrusive water out from her body. The air around her was cold, so cold. Blake started to shiver. But then she felt nothing but warmth. She didn't know how, but now she was dry. Warm and dry. She subconsciously hummed. There was a glimpse of a creature before her, but for some reason it didn't alarm her. She felt safe. For the first time since that light, the faunus fell to a full sleep.

There was something tickling her face. Blake opened her golden eyes, only to be greeted with another pair of eyes. Actually, scratch that. She was greeted with three pair of eyes. Blake swallowed a scream that had threatened to jump out of her throat. But she recomposed herself as she realized that the beast in front of her was not harming her. The beast didn't seem like a Grimm, not one that was documented anywhere in Remnant, at least. It affectionately licked her faunus ears, she automatically twitched them in reply, much to the beast's - or was it beasts'? - amusement as it - they? - started to purr. It started to rub itself against her face, its velvety fur caressing her cheeks. Blake soon found that she too was purring. With a lick from each of the heads, the beast stood up. It was bipedal.

Blake was about to follow it, but before she could stand up, the beast shot out one of its paws and pinned her down. It huffed into her face before it turned around to walk into the only source of light that was emitting into the...cave. Cave. She was inside a goddamn cave, hibernating in it like a goddamn animal. But at least she still had clothes on, she looked at herself. Although it was Beacon's uniform, it was better than her birthday suit.

The beast soon returned with another animal in its mouth - the middle's mouth. It was small, but its tongue was hanging out and its body was limp. Dead. The animal was dead. The middle head lowered itself onto the floor to drop the dead animal softly in front on Blake. It was then that Blake realized just how hungry she was.

"I can't eat it raw, I need to cook it," Blake told the beast. Can it even understand her? She tried to stand up again, but the beast put one of its giant paws on her shoulder, this time gently pushing her down. The beast then turned around and began to dig a hole in the rock below it. It was strong enough to dig through rock like it was soft dirt. _Wow_.

With its left head, it breathed fire into the pit. Blake was about to comment on how there was nothing to catch fire, when the flames stayed there, dancing wildly and passionately inside the pit. Stable fire. _Wow_.

With its right paw claws, the beast skinned off the fur of the dead animal in fluid swipes. With its left paw claws, it cut the animal into strips. Its right head shot sharp sticks that penetrated the rock flooring below it. _It can make both fire and arrow like projectiles from simply opening its mouth_, Blake thought. Deadly. The breast then stuck the animal strips with the sticks in a way that it was cooking nicely by the flames of the fire.

"You know you could have just used sticks or twigs from outside, right?" Blake asked the beast. All three of its heads looked at her with a knowing smile. "Were you...were you showing off?"

The smiles grew wider. One of the heads lowered itself. She swore it was blushing. _What a magnificent and beautiful creature, _she thought to herself. She couldn't help herself from thinking it, and she absolutely couldn't help herself from saying out loud, "Wow."

* * *

Yang returned to her team's table to find it empty. She was so shocked that she let go of the books instantly. She probably expected Weiss to ditch her, possibly even Blake. But not Ruby! Her dear little sister wouldn't have abandoned her so easily.

The blonde was angry. She had to find the RWB in team RWBY and teach them a lesson. She huffed to their dormitory, wondering if the girls had their running shoes on.


	2. Adapt

Work for the family that she was staying with was simple enough. Nothing a person of her strength couldn't handle. Even the teenage boys around the village have started to take a liking to her. She was the only girl that could keep up with their races. She was actually the fastest out of all of them, but she usually conserves her semblance to finish at varying places. Placing first all the time would bring too much attention. But unknowingly, she had attracted too much attention as is.

Ruby had tried making friends with the other females, she really did. But all they cared about was making dresses, and cooking supper, and daydreaming about their future husbands. Yikes. It was a strange world she wandered it. The moon was not even broken! The first time she saw the full moon she started pointing at it dramatically, Mrs. Hudson - the woman that she was living with - just complimented on the beauty of it.

Ruby then realized she was in fact not in the world of Remnant any more. Before, she had an inkling at best. But the moon was just the slap to the face she needed to understand the predicament itself. It just looked so...full. Complete.

She looked down at the parchment Mrs. Hudson had given her. It was a list of the foods that she needed to get for supper that day. She didn't want to offend anybody, but it was hard to overlook the fact that the technology that was available in the area was very lacking. No one would believe her if she described fridges, or rocket lockers - not like she did so anyway, she was smarter than that. Music was played in place, with no records or players to keep the sound for later playage. They didn't even have vinyl. What children did for fun was play in the streets, jump rope, tag. Even hacky sacks.

Ruby had little trouble finding the items she needed, and even managed to haggle prices enough that she had a few coins left over. Although it wasn't enough to buy anything - aside from an apple or two - Ruby decided to give the money back to Mrs. Hudson. It's not like she needed anything. And it's not like she was going to have to stay for long, right?

After dropping off the groceries back at the Hudson homes, she had a bit of time to play before supper was ready. And that meant spying on the men that were hunting. It was easy enough to sneak around the forest. Her semblance made sure that she was never seen. Ruby was safely hidden in the trees at all times. Once a stray bullet almost hit her, as her hood was mistaken for a small animal. She learned to keep it in her room whenever she did sneak out like this. Time and time again she had asked the men to take her along. They refused. "It's not a ladies' sport."

But that had just made even more curious. The guns they had, although primitive, required no dust to use. Instead, they needed gunpowder. And they were made to kill. Not just maim, not to just hurt. Actually killing their target. She had killed many Grimms in her lifetime, but never had she ever thought of killing game with soul for fun and food.

It was beautiful, how the men are able to locate animals in no time at all. The precise positions they take, and they were always on target. Although it was sad to see the animals drop, the men had mercy. The first shot was always fatal. Even if they missed the first time around, the second would always make up for it. Seeing critters in pain was heartbreaking, and at least the men thought so too.

Ruby heard rustling behind her, which was very nerve wracking for the fact that she was suspended fifty feet in the air from a tree. Putting herself in a sitting position on the branch she was on, Ruby scanned the horizon behind her for any suspicious activity. Nothing. She sat there for a good five minutes or so before she was taken slightly aback by the sound of a gunshot. It was probably nothing.

* * *

"Out of the way, peasant," a young woman scoffed as she pushed past Ruby in the bookstore. Ruby almost dropped the Atlas that she was holding, but the teen managed to catch it in time. Her time studying the new geography of the land she was transported to gave her little information. She had hoped that perhaps there was an area on the maps would look familiar to her. They did not. Ruby was about to find lore and history as well as books of the supernatural, anything that would provide useful in aiding Ruby go home.

It was useless however, when Ruby realized she couldn't read a single word in the village's native tongue. Speaking and listening was fine, she could understand all that. But the literary characters on paper was foreign to Ruby. Well at least she can write things in practical code, with only she being the one who can read it. Not like it helped her much.

"The picture books are over there, illiterate," the girl pointed to the far section. Ruby looked at her questioningly. She was sure she never met this rude person before. Ruby looked to her right, and then to her left. She then looked back at the young woman and pointed to herself. _Was she talking to me?_

"Yeah, you. God, you're such an idiot."

Ruby frowned.

"You're wondering why I assume you're illiterate, aren't you? All you peasants look the same, I know illiterate scum when I see one."

Ruby continued to look at the girl with bitterness in her eyes.

"Do you want to prove me wrong?"

Ruby shook her head. Oh, if only they were in Vytal. She'd wipe that smirk of her little porcelain doll face.

"At least you know when to back down, you miserable wretch. Maybe you plebeians aren't that stupid after all. Now where is that new novella? Ah, there it is."

* * *

"Red, be a dear and sew the hole in these breeches for me," Mr. Hudson told Ruby as he handed her his pants.

"I don't know how to sew," Ruby said. He looked at her skeptically.

"Now, Red. How do you expect to find a husband if you don't know how to sew for him?"

"Why would I want a husband? I'm only fifteen," she countered. And _for _him? He can patch up his own damn clothes!

"_Only _fifteen?" Mr. Hudson roared merrily. He even slapped his knee as if Ruby had just told the most hilarious joke in the world. "A lot of men out there would think otherwise. You're the perfect age, right you are. I heard George Bucheli is thinking about proposing to ya. Never mind that you currently have no family or status, he thinks you're perfect for him."

"Isn't he like twenty or something?" Ruby asked.

"Twenty-six," Mr. Hudson corrected, stroking his beard. Ruby's face contorted even more. He was more than a decade older than she is! All she could do was laugh nervously. "I can see you're disappointed. He's only the _second _son after all. Narissa Swan, she's the same age as you, married George's older brother, Zachary Bucheli! Did so just a few days before you showed up. A sweet kid she was."

Ruby dreaded to ask her next question, "How old is...Zachary Bucheli?"

"He's my age, actually! Thirty-two, went to school together we did."

Ruby felt like she was going to hurl.

"Mrs. Hudson doesn't look that much different from you, sir. Age-wise that is," Ruby realized. The reason why the young teen didn't notice the horrendously large age gap between husband and wife of the villagers was all the fault of the Hudsons. They looked. Normal.

"Ah yes," he said dreamily, staring off into the distance as if in a trance. "We were special alright. Although it is much more common now to marry or be engaged to those of your own age, in my time it was a rarity. My Helena was actually suppose to marry an aristocrat. He just had the largest head of hair ever, and all those frills! A miracle he could even walk with all those layers. You can just imagine how much of a fit her family threw when she called off the engagement. We were just so in love. She was hiding from her family one day you see..."

"Are you telling Red that embarrassing story, my dear?" Mrs. Hudson said, poking her head into the kitchen. She had with her a laundry basket full of newly washed clothes.

"Embarrassing? It's beautiful, that's what it is!" her husband huffed.

"I want to know," Ruby said, inching closer now that her interest had been piqued. Mr. Hudson roared in approval while the missus just shook her head as she walked off the fold the laundry.

* * *

"Hey, Red!" one of the village boys called for her attention. His name was Thomas, a freckled lad with a thirst for adventure. He dreams of becoming a member of the navy, always on the sea and possibly encountering new islands to explore.

She skipped over to him, balancing from her heel to her toes in a teeter-totter like manner, she awaited for what the young man has to say.

"Whatcha doing, Tommy?" Ruby asked.

"Russell fell down the well, help me pull him up," Thomas gestured. The sleeves of his shirt and the legs of his trousers were rolled up, both of his hands were occupied with a rope that was lead into the well. He even had a firm foot pressed against the side of the well to position himself in a stable manner.

"And why do you think little old me can help you?" Ruby asked with a smile.

"Please, Red. Both you and I know that you're stronger that most of these sore losers. And do you really expect anyone else to help me pull _Russell_ up?" Thomas managed to explain. The rope pulled a bit, making Thomas lose his grip momentarily before he quickly regained the balance. Ruby rolled her eyes while she too rolled up her sleeves. The two heaved and ho'ed until a wet hand managed to wrap itself around the outer wall of the well. A stickly figure emerged as he gasped for hair, rolling out of the well in the most inelegant way possible before collapsing on the ground.

"Thanks, guys," Russell said before he went into a fit of coughing, throwing up water.

"Gee, Russell, who did this to you?" Ruby asked, hands on her hips in a disapproving manner.

"Who do you think," the victim said, wiping traces of drool that had bit spat out along with the well water.

"Benedict," Ruby growled.

"What'd you do this time, Russ? Pointed out his stupidity again? Corrected a spelling or grammar mistake?" Thomas joked.

"Miss Elizabeth was there," Russell shrugged. But Ruby and Thomas groaned. Miss Elizabeth Anderson. Daughter of the richest family in the village. Along with Benedict Roberts, son of the _second _richest family. Totally meant for each other. Dick and dickess, bratty, spoiled, bigoted, engaged. The worse part of this whole situation is that Russell's family _works _for the Andersons. So even if he didn't want to, he's stuck addressing her as _Miss _Elizabeth!

But here's the catch. Elizabeth actually enjoys Russell's company. They've been together since they were born, or they might as well have been. And Benedict. Oh boy, is Benedict the jealous type.

"Russ, you have got to ditch her," Thomas said, rolling his eyes. He extended a hand to Russell, who was still recovering on the ground.

"Miss Elizabeth isn't _that _bad," Russell said, he grabbed a hold of his friend's hand to stand up. There was now mud all over his trousers, to which he frowned in disgust by.

"I have a list of the names she called me when we first met," Ruby scowled. Elizabeth was the least to say...unpleasant.

"You have to get to know her first." the boy defended.

"I've known her for thirteen years, and trust me. I know her," Thomas said, waving his hands around in complete tandem to his words.

"Not that I know her," Russell said quietly, looking down.

"You have to tell her," Ruby whispered just as quiet. Russell looked up immediately, horrified.

"No! I mean, she's engaged. Engaged to _Benedict_," he flustered.

"I heard eloping is in this year," Thomas said off handedly, causing the shorter boy to start glowing red.

"She wouldn't be happy with me. She's meant for guys like Benedict. Besides, I don't even think she likes me back in that way," Russell continued. He started to ramble. Wow, did they hit a nerve. He talked about how she, even though she had countless of servants tending to her every whim, Elizabeth chooses to go to pick up her book orders by herself. Especially if it was a new novel that she had wanted to read. She wanted to feel the pages of the books as she flipped through them, she wanted to hear the spine as she opened it for the first time.

Reading was her passion, and although it was more common for a lady of her age and status to be interested in poems, Elizabeth was simply infatuated with the fiction. The adventure and the thrill, the suspense and drama. Ruby remembered that. When Elizabeth had bumped into her in the store, the young lady had picked up a book of a ship on the cover. Ruby looked at it with interest. "What are you looking at, brat?" Elizabeth had said before sauntering over to the counter to pay. Her nose was buried deep in the book on her way out the door. In the middle of it all, Russell started another coughing fit, despite already clearing his lung of the water from before.

"You okay, Russ?"

"Nothing really, Miss Amelia has been coughing recently. I think I must have caught it from her." Amelia. Elizabeth's younger sister. Twice as bratty. Twice as spoiled. Too young to be a dickess, though. And a seven year old can't really be bigoted. But it doesn't stop her from trying to sound like it.

"Ew, rich people cooties," Thomas scrunched his face and took a step back. With a feigning distraught face, he wiped a bit of the imaginary germs onto Ruby, who played along.

"Nasty, Thomas. Don't get me sick, too!"

"Very mature, folks," Russell said, rolling his eyes.

"No, I'm serious. I'll be very angry with you if I get sick," Thomas said.

* * *

"My head hurts," Thomas said two days later. His muscles were too sore to move, he had a severe case of violent coughing. He also had an intense migraine, so strong that even opening his eyes caused him pain. "I'm going to kill Russell," he groaned.

"Now, dear. This sickness has been going around all over town. I'm sure Russell didn't mean to," Mrs. Hudson assured her son. She was wringing a towel to replace the one on his forehead. She began to cough into the inside of her elbow.

"Mom, you're getting sick, too," Thomas said worriedly.

"I'm sure I'll be fine," Mrs. Hudson lied to herself. From the window of her Thomas's bed, she could see a little girl clad in red entering the front gate of their home. Red must be hungry. After she had finished washing and feeding her son, she walked steadily out of the door, only to collapse the motion she set foot down the hallway. Luckily, Ruby was there, using her semblance she was able to quickly get to the housewife before she hit the floor. The basin of water had rolled down the stairs, leaving trails of water all over the house, but that was the least of the girl's worries.

"Mrs. Hudson, are you okay?" Ruby asked. The sickness was spreading rapidly, and even a strong woman like Mrs. Hudson had become a victim.

"I'm fine, Red dear," she rasped. Ruby rested the back of her hand on top of Mrs. Hudson's temples. Burning. "I need to prepare supper, I bet you're hungry."

"No, no. I'm fine. Really," Ruby positioned Mrs. Hudson in a way that she was partially using Ruby as a support. When she was in bed next to her also ailing husband, the wife apologized that supper was going to be late. Ruby told her that it was okay, and that she should focus more on getting better. Ruby then gathered more water to wash off the Hudsons, afterwards the girl had to clean the water that had been spilled. It was then that she finally had time to put away the branches, logs and twigs that she had just returned from gathering in the woods.

There were less children on the streets today, and even less people in the markets and shops. Ruby was worried, very worried. Yesterday, Russell became bedridden and Thomas had started coughing. Today, Thomas couldn't move from his bed and Ruby...Ruby was perfectly fine. Not that she wanted to get sick as well, but the fact that Ruby had no difference in her health made her wonder what she had and the villagers didn't.

Ruby forced herself into the bed the Hudsons prepared for her. She screamed into the pillow until her throat was hoarse. This life. It was all too mundane. She missed Yang. She missed Blake and Weiss too. She missed, Jaune and Pyrrha. She missed Nora and even Lie - as quiet as he was. She wanted to wake up and go home. To Beacon, where she belonged. But then she wondered if she would miss Russell, Mr. and Mrs. Hudson. She wonder if she would miss Thomas. If she left now, would she be too cruel?

Who was she kidding. She would miss everyone.


	3. Ascend

Weiss was cold, hungry, and miserable. She had miraculously gotten enough energy in the last few days to use her glyphs to glide around the town, seeking information. Despite her pride, she used them to perform street shows. From what she could tell, the people of this town had no dust and no knowledge of dust. Her glyphs were seen as tricks of the light, something the young children enjoyed very much. But just a little while ago after having finished her last show for the day before the light grew dim and the folks starting to shuffle back into their homes, she spied a little girl on the street corner.

Curious, she cautiously approached the child. What was she doing all alone by herself? Where were her parents? Upon seeing Weiss coming towards her, the girl's face lit up. She started to run towards Weiss, who in return halted to a stop at the sudden change of direction.

"Would you like to buy a match, miss?" she asked, holding up a bundle of long vertical matches. As the small girl held up the matches, the sleeve of her dress fell down, revealing bruises on her wrists. When Weiss took a closer look, there were also bruises on the girl's cheeks, and a cut on her lips.

"Despicable," Weiss muttered under her breath.

"What did you say, miss?" the girl wondered, staring at Weiss with her huge doe eyes.

"I'll...buy...however much this gets me," the snow teen revealed her handful of coins. She even closed her eyes, not wanting to know how much of her money would actually be taken. Hey, the girl might need it more than her, but she could still be wary of her own fortune and well being.

"Oh, thank you, miss. This is enough to buy the rest of today's matches! Papa will let me eat potatoes, tonight!" Weiss had to force herself to swallow down the lump of rage in her throat. The girl excitedly took the rest of the matches and wrapped them in tissue paper, tied with twine.

Broke with nothing in her possession but a tattered dress and a handful of matches, Weiss would be sleeping on the streets the second time since she arrived in such a wretched place. _At least it looks like it won't be raining tonight_, Weiss thought to herself as she looked up at the night sky.

It was clear for the first time since she got to this abnormal place, and so the site that she saw above her almost made her drop the matches into a nearby puddle. Weiss's mouth dropped open, and she couldn't close it for the sheer force of her shock held it open.

The moon was different. It held the only similar trait of color from what she was to, but the shape was different. It looked...whole.

It all made sense. Even though she studied maps as a young girl, she never heard of the town's name she was in. There was no way to confirm her doubts however, as only the rich and finely dress were allowed into the library archives. In her old life, Weiss could have easily gotten access to such a place, with her elegance and title. She wouldn't even had to lift a finger.

But in this strange world, her stuff was taken from her, and in place of her uniform, was a flimsy prison dress, so thin that it wouldn't even be able to protect her against a summer's night. She wasn't even wearing shoes. She missed shoes.

A crash sounded, making her flinch. Alerted to the noise, she turned to find a figure sprawled across the cobbled floor. He had on a long coat, dark breeches, and heeled boots. This man had some kind of power, from the way that he dressed. And from the looks of it, there was a coin pouch as well as a crested handkerchief that was hanging precariously out of his pocket.

Weiss shook her head. No. No stealing. She made it this far without pickpocketing or other forms of petty thief. And she wasn't going to start now. But a handkerchief with the family crest of a local nobleman can get her access to countless of resources. No. But Weiss did however, walk up to the fallen man.

"Sir. Sir, are you okay?" she lowered herself down closer to the street, resting the matches on her lap. Weiss tried waking up the man by shaking his shoulder, "Sir. Sir?" The man groaned as he shifted ever so slightly to a more comfortable position. Weiss actually slapped him across the face. He was drunk, he wasn't going to remember this. "_Sir_," she said with more authority in her voice. Man, did she miss using that voice.

"Bring me home, chauffeur," he mumbled.

"I don't know where you live," Weiss frowned.

"1037 Everston Street. Third house on the left..." the man said before snoring. Irritated, Weiss actually lit one of the matches, and hovered it close the man's face. Smelling burning hair, the man woke up spontaneously, "Fire!" he shouted. At least that was enough for Weiss to successfully pull him up as he tried to scramble out of harm's way. Weiss sighed to herself as she walked half hazardly across the increasingly foggy night. Just what was she even doing with her life anymore.

On the way there, the man even asked if he could have a light in one of the moments he fazed back to reality. Weiss asked what in the world was she even suppose to light, to which the man simply laughed heartedly and went back to half snoring and half walking.

It wasn't cheating if she could control it at will. But Weiss managed to successfully carry the drunken man to his house. And what a giant house it was. Although not as big as the one she grew up in, it was of a great height and size, towering over her like a tower.

She knocked on the door firmly. Twice, three times. She had half a mind to drop the booze-reeked man right there on the doorstep. The moment Weiss was about to turn around and leave was the moment the door opened. It was a young man about her age, his hair definitely frazzled from tossing and turning in his sleep.

"Goddamnit father, not again," the teen sighed. He ushered Weiss to come in before locking the large doors once again. "I'm terribly sorry about him. It's been hard for him, for all of us since mother died."

Huh.

"You guys looked well off though," Weiss commented without thinking. It was then the teen looked at her up and down. She wished he'd stop. _This isn't what I usually look like! _Weiss wanted to scream.

"Well, we're not. The servants all quit after father last a fortune last month. They all assume it's just going to get worse and worse. Here, let me help you carry him to his room." The teen took the man's other arm and the two walked through the massive mansion to the master bedroom. On the way there, Weiss learned a lot of things. She learned that the man she was carrying was a rich aristocrat (big shock there) who had recently lost a lot of his money from poor investments.

They were the Ketherson family - not like you haven't heard of us (she hadn't). After their mother Margaret had died, their father Duncan had done all he can in an attempt to raise them by himself. The eldest son of the household, the one she was having this one sided conversation with, was named David. Seventeen years of age he was, the same as her. Benjamin and Sebastian were the twins, both fifteen years old. Vladimir was fourteen - he's a bit emotional these days. Ernest is twelve, trying to be older than he actually is. Christopher is ten, he's a little shiet. And Walter is five. Innocent, adorable. Spoiled as Hell.

After the unnecessary family history lesson, the two finally made it to Duncan's chambers. David was the one to put his father in his bed, though. "He gets cranky if he doesn't wake up the right way," the eldest son explained. Weiss just stood there awkwardly for a good fifteen seconds holding her matches. When David was done, he half skipped, half walked over to where Weiss was, sticking his hand out.

"David Ketherson, even though you probably know because of my rambling. I ramble a lot you know, I apologize for that-"

"Weiss Schnee," she said, taking a hold of his hand. There was no harm in telling him her name, she supposed. It's not like any major consequences will arise, not like she was an heiress of a controversial dust manufacturing family company in this world or anything.

"Huh," David said quietly.

"What is it?" she asked him.

"Your name translates to white snow," he smiled. "Are you sure it isn't Weiß?"

"I know my own name," Weiss said curtly.

David shrugged in understanding, "So Weiss. Do you have any place to stay for the night?"

She could tell that he was giving her a look over, subconsciously she wrapped her arms around herself. "Why, does it look like I'm homeless?"

"To be honest, yeah you do."

"Well then Sir David, you are correct. I, Weiss Schnee am a homeless teenage female. Can I take my leave now?" The more she was in the presence of David, the hotter her face got.

"Follow me," he simply said.

"Are you going to escort me out? How gentlemanly of you," she sneered. But after they took a different turn than she had expected, they arrived at another set of doors.

"Please, stay for the night. It's the least we can do for you. Feel free to use the gowns, you look freezing." Before she could retort or utter a thank you, Weiss was left alone. Did David trust her so much to not like, steal something and run off? But Weiss was too tired to run or anything. She threw the bundle of matches on the nearby vanity and buried herself on the soft mattress. Oh how she missed this. She didn't even bother with the blankets, the feel of an actual bed was more than enough to lull her to sleep.

* * *

"Why is her hair so white? Is she _old_?" a small child's voice woke her up. She started to frown. She was not even twenty yet, thank you very much. Realization of where she was hit her as she sat up abruptly.

"You're awake!" David said, clapping his hands together. Weiss's attention immediately drew to the young boy that was beside him, looking up at Weiss with eyes full of wonder.

"Is it a common Ketherson tradition to watch a lady while she sleeps?" Weiss muttered.

"No, no. Not at all. Walter here just wanted to wake you up. I'm accompanying him so that he wouldn't do anything unnecessary," David explain, holding Walter by the shoulders.

"Right," Weiss rolled her eyes. She smacked her lips, "My mouth feels like death. Do you guys perchance have a water source I can use to rinse my mouth and wash my face with." The surprise in David's face was not subtle in the least. Walter however beamed as he lifted the basin from his tiny hands and dropped it on the bed. A bit of water sloshed around as some got on Weiss. Expecting her to blow a fuse, David held his breath. Instead Weiss just started to wash her face. She even used the towel to dry off her face without uttering a single word to either of the brothers.

She crawled from the bed to look below it. Seeing what she was looking for, Weiss used one of her feet to drag the chamberpot from underneath as she took some water into her mouth.

With precision, she spit the dirty mouth water into the pot without spilling a drop. She looked at the brothers, who stared back at her with bewildered eyes.

"Awesome!" Walter chirped.

"So are you guys going to stay there, or are you going to actually give me a brief moment of privacy?"

Confused at first, until Weiss pointed to the pot itself was when David started to tint redness. He scooted his younger brother out of the room. With a soft click of the door, Weiss finally had the time and place to relieve herself. Although not as ideal as a modern toilet with a flushing mechanic, it was better than pissing on the streets like a stray dog.

After cleaning herself, she poked her head out to inquire David about where to empty and wash the chamberpot. After spending days on the streets and minimal ones in actual inns, Weiss had now develop little qualms about her P's and Q's. After completing her first chore for the day, she walked back to her temporary room and returned the pot to its original position. When she exited the room, she saw David with another boy she didn't recognize fiddling with his tie.

"How are you feeling?" David asked her.

"As fresh as I'll ever be," she shrugged.

Weiss followed David and the younger boy - Christopher out to a spacious dining hall. She was greeted by the drunken man last night. Except now he was less drunken and more proper. Although the bags under his eyes made him look like shit. His mustache was also no longer there. Apparently singing one side of it meant that the only way of fixing it was to shave it all off.

"Weiss, I am terribly sorry for my behavior last night. I hope I wasn't too much trouble," he said, sticking out his hand.

The white haired teen grasped at it firmly, "I'm sorry about the mustache. Also, I heard a hot toddy works wonders for hangovers."

Duncan laughed at that, "Ah, thank you. And no worries, I was planning to take if off sooner or later. I heard it makes the face look younger."

"You certainly don't see a lot of adolescents with such facial hair," Weiss commented. There was a knock on the main doors, making David excuse himself to leave. "I suppose that it is all pretty lonely, in this big house of yours with no servants," she continued.

"We make do," Duncan smiled. David soon returned with an envelope in his hand.

"What is it, David?" the father asked his son.

"It's a royal ball invitation, sir," the son replied. Weiss blinked. Fancy.

"I guess I'll be taking my leave now. Thanks for the bed," Weiss said as she started to head for the door.

"Nonsense!" Duncan declared. "You're coming with us as our quest." In that moment Weiss saw an opportunity open its doors. There was no way she was going to let this slide. So many resources she can access, so many people she can question. She knows how to act like a lady. She can charm her way into some important info. It was a _ball _for goodness sakes. There was bound to be...interesting people there that had...interesting interests. Particularly the conspiracy types. With an emphasis on magical books and _dimension jumping_.

* * *

"You're wearing mum's dress," Christopher said.

"I can go back and change," Weiss said, pointing back into her room, specifically to the jail clothes that were neatly folded on the side table.

"No, no. It's fine. Really," David assured her. "They weren't going to be worn anytime soon, anyways. It looks good on you."

"Oh, I just knew that it would fit you," Duncan said. Weiss's stomach began to growl. She hadn't eaten in a day after all.

"Someone's eager to eat," Benjamin commented.

"Very eager," Sebastian joined in.

"I might have lost a bit of money, but I still know how to treat a guest properly," Duncan said.

"A bit?" Benjamin required.

"I think he meant a lot," Sebastian corrected.

"No dilly dallying," Duncan said, ignoring the trouble making twins. They had breakfast to catch. Not in the literal sense. Just that they needed to eat breakfast before it was too late so that it was counted as brunch instead of breakfast. _Anyways_. Weiss had her fill in what seemed like forever. She was thankfully not uncivilized for so long that she forgot her table manners. Asking where to wash a chamberpot was one thing, but forgetting something that was drilled into her the day she could hold a fork was hard to do.

"You eat like a richman," Vladimir said. "Christopher can't even hold a spoon properly."

"I can too!" the child pouted.

"Who said I wasn't a richman?" Weiss said, not once did her elbow touch the surface of the table. Ernest noticed this and casually slid his elbows off as subtle as he could, pretending like he wasn't doing so for the last thirty minutes. Weiss knew that all of them wanted to say things like _your clothes_, _no shoes_, _your smell_. What she wouldn't give right now to have a running water shower with her favorite rosewater body wash. Don't tell Ruby that, she'd go ballistic. Thankfully, there was a few chuckles around the table at Weiss's apparent 'joke'.

"So, Weiss. What do you think you're going to wear to the ball tonight? A lady such as yourself has to have the prettiest dress," Duncan said.

"I'm fine with whatever is left of Margaret's closet," Weiss said simply.

"I insist-"

"No sir, _I _insist. I am fine. Unless you do not want me wearing your passed wife's garments, I content with doing so."

And that was that. David refrained from pointing out that Weiss did in fact choose the most expensive dress. It really suit her after all. And even though she had decided to put her hair in the most obscure style, a side ponytail - not one in the back, not two on the side, a single one on the right side of her head, with no curls or ringlets whatsoever - really fit her. It fit her personality, her behavior, her image. David smiled, perhaps tonight's ball would actually be _fun_.

* * *

"Mirror, mirror, in my hand. Who is the fairest in all the land?" the queen bemused herself as she rested in her oversized throne. It was silly, the fact that she already knew the answer to the question, and yet she asks it daily. Actually, she has been so busy in the last few days with _queenly duties_ that she hasn't had the time to ask it anything in that time. It was always her, though. That was obvious. The mirror of course had once mistakenly told her of a Margaret Ketherson. But that imposter was taken care of quickly. No need to have individuals to confuse her naive and innocent mirror.

Imagine her surprise when it replied, "Weiss Schnee, is she." This answer knocked the queen back into an upright position.

"Who?" the queen asked, a vein practically throbbing on her temple.

"I do not wish to repeat myself madam, but Weiss Schnee's the fairest I fathom," the mirror replied.

"...Don't you mean Weiß?"

"Although it is indeed 'White' that is her name, she claims it is pronounced under a different frame."

The queen pinched the bridge of her nose.


End file.
